The First Word
so here's the game, begun in January but I'm really only now getting around to playing.
Between my friend Bekah and I, whoever reads the most books over the year gets a Powell's shopping spree, paid for by the loser. She's ahead right now, substantially, even, but here's my list now and oh how it will be growing in the next couple months. I've got a fire under me on the topic of linguistics and anthroplogy and my reading list just got dauntingly large.
1. Sea of Glory, Nathaniel Philbrick
Non-fiction account of the sea-faring adventures of the US Exploring Expedition of 1838, chartered to verfiy the existance of an Antarctic continnent as well as chart various islands in the South Pacific and the mouth of the Columbia River. Absolutely amazing book. The cast of characters are more interesting than any fictional swashbucklers you could dream up. On top of being exciting to the last and full of great scenes of treacherous seas, looming mutiny, violent natives and monstrous ice floes it's also amazingly educational. Local (for me), American and natural history abound. If you're into that sort of thing it's a hell of a good read.
2. Sundiver, David Brin
In the style of Isaac Asimov, a hybrid science-fiction/mystery novel. Not terrible, but not terribly exciting either.
3. Startide Rising, David Brin
Thought I'd give him another chance. This one was way better. Got to learn a lot more about the "Uplift Universe" in which Brin's stories take place; a pretty intersting concept, I think. This time he ditched the mystery portion and just gives a good science-fiction adventure story. Great action sequences, doesn't take itself too seriously, definitely kept me curious about what was going to happen next.
4. Barnaby Rudge, Charles Dickens
Wow. I didn't realize the task I was undertaking when I picked this book up. Totally drew me in. Took me almost two months to get out. heh. At a little over 700 pages (with fine print, mind you) the scope of the story is huge and the is told in about the most beautiful English I've ever heard in narrative. You'll be guessing about the ending 'till it ends and will grow very attached to the characters on your way there. I almost put the book down on several occasions because I didn't want to read what I thought was coming next. Also, as an interesting side note, one of the most amusing characters in the book is a "tame" raven named Grip. After reading Dicken's novel, Edgar Allen Poe went on to write a rather well known poem based on this intriguing character, perhaps you've heard of it.
5. The Medusa and the Snail, Lewis Thomas
Lewis Thomas is one of my favorite figures in science. A Renaissance man, educated in a wide variety of disciplines, poetic, thoughtful, highly intelligent, I never get tired of reading him. This book is a follow up to his Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher. In Medusa he focuses on the ubiquity of symbiotic relationships, how, indeed, by its very definition all life is basically symbiotic. He also takes a little more time in this book to talk about people, and how we fit into the earth's coherent ecosystem. Three of the essays brought me to tears with his understated assertions of how beautiful a thing humanity really is, or at least, has the potential to be.
6. Et Cetera, Et Cetera, Lewis Thomas
Just started it today, I'll let you know how it turns out.
Between my friend Bekah and I, whoever reads the most books over the year gets a Powell's shopping spree, paid for by the loser. She's ahead right now, substantially, even, but here's my list now and oh how it will be growing in the next couple months. I've got a fire under me on the topic of linguistics and anthroplogy and my reading list just got dauntingly large.
1. Sea of Glory, Nathaniel Philbrick
Non-fiction account of the sea-faring adventures of the US Exploring Expedition of 1838, chartered to verfiy the existance of an Antarctic continnent as well as chart various islands in the South Pacific and the mouth of the Columbia River. Absolutely amazing book. The cast of characters are more interesting than any fictional swashbucklers you could dream up. On top of being exciting to the last and full of great scenes of treacherous seas, looming mutiny, violent natives and monstrous ice floes it's also amazingly educational. Local (for me), American and natural history abound. If you're into that sort of thing it's a hell of a good read.
2. Sundiver, David Brin
In the style of Isaac Asimov, a hybrid science-fiction/mystery novel. Not terrible, but not terribly exciting either.
3. Startide Rising, David Brin
Thought I'd give him another chance. This one was way better. Got to learn a lot more about the "Uplift Universe" in which Brin's stories take place; a pretty intersting concept, I think. This time he ditched the mystery portion and just gives a good science-fiction adventure story. Great action sequences, doesn't take itself too seriously, definitely kept me curious about what was going to happen next.
4. Barnaby Rudge, Charles Dickens
Wow. I didn't realize the task I was undertaking when I picked this book up. Totally drew me in. Took me almost two months to get out. heh. At a little over 700 pages (with fine print, mind you) the scope of the story is huge and the is told in about the most beautiful English I've ever heard in narrative. You'll be guessing about the ending 'till it ends and will grow very attached to the characters on your way there. I almost put the book down on several occasions because I didn't want to read what I thought was coming next. Also, as an interesting side note, one of the most amusing characters in the book is a "tame" raven named Grip. After reading Dicken's novel, Edgar Allen Poe went on to write a rather well known poem based on this intriguing character, perhaps you've heard of it.
5. The Medusa and the Snail, Lewis Thomas
Lewis Thomas is one of my favorite figures in science. A Renaissance man, educated in a wide variety of disciplines, poetic, thoughtful, highly intelligent, I never get tired of reading him. This book is a follow up to his Lives of a Cell: Notes of a Biology Watcher. In Medusa he focuses on the ubiquity of symbiotic relationships, how, indeed, by its very definition all life is basically symbiotic. He also takes a little more time in this book to talk about people, and how we fit into the earth's coherent ecosystem. Three of the essays brought me to tears with his understated assertions of how beautiful a thing humanity really is, or at least, has the potential to be.
6. Et Cetera, Et Cetera, Lewis Thomas
Just started it today, I'll let you know how it turns out.